Garment-stay.



R. A. BENEDICT-ROCHE.

GARMENT STAY. APPLICATION man NOV. 6. l9l3. RENEWED NOV- 1. 1914.

WITNESSES INVENTOR,

ATTORNEY and terminates in the short bend 5.

pairs sra'rns AT OFFICE.

THE SPIRELLA COMPANY, OFMEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

GARMENT-STAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

Application filed November 6, 1913, Serial No. 799,562. Renewed November 7, 1914. Serial No. 870,936.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RUBY ADELAIDE BENE- oIoT-Roc-nn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meadville, in the county of Crawford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Garment-Stay, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to garment stays, and particularly to wire stays for use in corsets or similar articles of wearing apparel.

The object of the invention is to provide a garment stay which is flexible in all directions, which conforms readily to the curvature of the body, which includes a long length of wire for a given size of stay, and which is strong, resilient and durable and possesses a high degree of resistance to bending stresses.

The invention comprises the stay hereinafter described and illustrated in the ac companying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a face view of one form of stay embodying the invention, the scale being somewhat exaggerated; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1 and on a larger scale; Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 33 Fig. 1, and on the same scale as Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1, and showing a modification.

Referring to the drawings, the stay shown is formed of wire, a single strand or wire 1 being illustrated, which may be provided with a suitable rust resisting coating, if desired, and which i bent back and forth to form a series of loops 2, which are disposed alternately along opposite edges of the stay. Each loop has its closed outer end portion bent or returned inwardly toward the center line or the stay and in its plane. The return bends are each formed of a portion of the wire, marked 3, which in one direc- 7 tion is rounded on a gentle curve at theouter edge of the stay and merges into a crossing portion 4 of the wire which forms the opposite side of the next adjacent loop on the other edge of the stay and which crossing portion terminates in the short bend 5 of said loop and in the other direction has a rounded portion whose convex side is toward the center line of the stay The successive transverse or crossing portions 4:

are all shown as substantially normal to the length of the stay and the curved portions 3 which are continuous therewith are dis posed alternately along opposite edges of the stay.

The stay may be described as substantially flat, as it is considerably wider than it is thick. Preferably each of the successive loops overlaps the next adjacent loop along the same edge of the stay, or in other words, each of the crossing portions 4, at or near the point where it merges into the rounded portion 3 adjacent the outer edge of the stay, crosses the return bend of the next adjacent loop along the same edge of the stay. All of the loops overlap adjacent loops along the same edge of the stay, which brings all of the crossing portion 4 upon one face of the stay and all of the loops upon the other. Moreover, each loop lies in a plane inclined at an acute angle to the general plane of the stay, so that the stay has a shingled appearance when viewed edgewise.

While the crossing portions 4 may be substantially straight from edge to edge of the stay, this is not essential, since as shown in Fig. 4, each of the crossing portions may be bent or deflected, intermediate the edges of the stay, into any suitable form of loop or convolution, such as the small closed loop or eye 6, shown as consisting of a complete turn of the wire although this is not essential. If desired, the width of the stay may be increased to allow for the small loops or eyes 6, although this is not necessary, but in any case, the construction described increases the resiliency and the total length of wire in the stay.

The stay may also be provided with a pro tecting end tip or cap 7, which may be of any suitable construction or design.

The stay described is quite resilient and flexible in the edgewise direction, and is also strong and otters considerable resistance to bending in the flatwise direction, particularly because of the presence of the return bends, the long curved outer ends 3 of the loops, and-the overlapping of adja cent loops upon each other. The stay contains a considerably greater length of wire than prior stays of the same dimensions and consequently distributes wear and the tendency of crystallization of the metal over a longer length of wire. Consequently, there is less liability of breakage or the production of a permanent set upon sharp bends.

The stay conforms readily to all movements of the body and its open structure permits thorough ventilation and circulation of air, so that it promotes health and insures coolness and freedom from perspiration.

hat I claim is 1. A garment stay, comprising wire bent into loops lying along opposite edges of the stay with the outer end of each loop toward the middle of the stay bent back upon the remainder of the loop and spaced therefrom along the length of the stay.

2. A garment stay, comprising wire bent to form a series of return loops lying along opposite edges of the stay and transverse connecting portions or crossings, each transverse portion of the wire crossing the next adjacent return loop at one side of the center line of the stay.

3. A garment stay, comprising Wire bent to form loops lying along opposite edges of the stay, the loops along one edge alternating with the loops along the other edge, each loop being connected by a transverse portion of the wire to two adjacent loops along the other edge of the stay, the transverse portions of the wire being each formed into a closed loop intermediate the edges of the stay.

4. A garment stay, comprising wire bent to form loops lying along opposite edges of the stay, the loops along one edge alternating with those along the other edge, each loop being connected by a transverse portion of the wire to a loop on the other edge of the stay, said transverse portions of the wire being each formed into a closed loop intermediate the edges of the stay.

5. A garment stay, comprising wire bent to form a series of loops and connecting crossings, the crossings being bent to form a series of closed loops or convolutions lying along the middle line of the stay.

6. A garment stay, comprising wire bent to form a series of loops and connecting crossings, the crossings being bent to form a series of closed loops disposed in line with each other along the middle portion of the stay.

7. A garment stay, comprising wire bent to form a series of alternately disposed loops lying along the edges of the stay and connecting crossings, the crossings being bent to form a series of closed loops or convolutions lying along the middle line of the stay.

8. A garment stay, comprising wire bent to form loops lying along opposite edges of the stay, the loops along one edge alternating with those along the other edge, each loop being connected by a transverse portion of the wire to a loop on the other edge of the stay, said transverse portions of the wire being each formed into a closed loop intermediate the edges of the stay, said closed loops being in line with each other longitudinally of the stay.

9. A garment stay, comprising wire bent to form a series of loops having rounded re turned portions lying along opposite edges of the stay and convex toward its middle portion, the return portion of each loop overlapping the next adjacent loop longitudinally of the stay.

10. A garment stay, comprising wire bent to form a series of loops having returned portions disposed alternately along opposite edgos of the stay, the returned portions of each loop overlapping the next adjacent loop longitudinally of the stay and lying between an edge and the center line of the stay and having a portion convex toward the center line of the stay, each loop being in a plane disposed at an acute angle to the gen eral plane of the stay.

11. A garment stay, comprising wire bent to form a series of return loops lying along the edges of the stay with the return portion of each loop along each edge lying between said edge and the center line of the stay and spaced from the remainder of the loop toward one edge of the stay.

12. A garment stay, comprising wire bent to form a series of return loops disposed alternately along the edges of the stay, the

return portion of each loop being spacedfrom the remainder of the loop toward one end of the stay and each loop being connected by a transverse portion to two adjacent loops along the other edge of the stay, all the loops lying on one face of the stay and the transverse portions on the other face of the stay.

13. A garment stay, comprising Wire bent to form a series of return loops disposed alternately along the edges of the stay, the return portion of each loop being spaced from the remainder of the loop toward one end of the stay and each loop being connected by a transverse portion to two adjacent loops along the other edge of the stay, all the loops lying on one face of the stay and the transverse portions on the other face of the stay, successive loops overlapping each other longitudinally of the stay.

14. A garment stay, comprising wire bentto form two rows of return loops disposed alternately along opposite edges of the stay, the return portions of successive loops being spaced apart lengthwise of the stay, the return portion of each loop overlapping the next adjacent loop along the same edge of the stay.

15. A garment stay, comprising wire bent to form two rows of return loops disposed alternately along opposite edges of the stay,

- the return portions of the loops being spaced apart lengthwise of the stay, the loops along lie opposite edges of the stay being joined by transverse portions or crossings which at one end merge into the rounded outer end of a loop on one edge of the stay and at the other end terminate in the short bend of a loop on the other edge of the stay.

16. A garment stay, comprising wire bent to form two rows of return loops disposed alternately along opposite edges of the stay, the return portions of the loops being spaced apart lengthwise of the stay, the loops along opposite edges of the stay being joined by transverse portions or crossings which at one end merge into the rounded outer end of a loop on one edge of the stay and at the other end terminate in the short bend of a loop on the other edge of the stay, each transverse portion of the wire crossing the return portion of the next adjacent loop of the wire.

17. A garment stay, comprising Wire bent to form two rows of return loops disposed alternately along opposite edges of the stay, the return portions of the loops being spaced apart lengthwise of the stay, the loops along opposite edges of the stay being joined by transverse portions or crossings which at one end merge into the rounded outer end of a loop on one edge of the stay and at the other end terminate in the short bend of a loop on the other edge of the stay, each transverse portion of the wire crossing the return portion of the next adjacent loop of the Wire and being bent intermediate the edges of the stay to form a loop or eye.

18. A garment stay, comprising Wire bent to form alternately disposed return loops each overlapping an adjacent loop along the same edge of the stay.

10. A garment stay, comprising Wire bent to form a series of alternately disposed return loops connected by transverse portions or crossings, the return portions of the loops being spaced at regular intervals lengthwise of the stay, the outer portions of the loops along the edges of the stay being curved, each return loop being transversely in line with a crossing portionof the Wire.

20. A garment stay, comprising Wire bent to form a series of alternately disposed return loops connected by trans erse portions or crossings, the return portions of the loops being spaced at regular intervals lengthwise of the stay, the outer portions of the loops along the edges of the stay being curved, the return portions of all of the loops lying on one face of the stay and the transverse portions or crossings on the other face thereof.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signa ture in the presence of two witnesses.

RUBY ADELAIDE BENEDICT-ROCHE. 'Vitnesses:

W. J. ROCHE, F. L. RooHn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

